Cumbria snow: Battle to restore electricity to homes
- By Samantha Jagger
- BBC News
4 December 2023, 08:50 GMT
Updated 4 hours ago
Image source, PA Media
Engineers are working into the night to restore electricity supplies to properties cut off by snowy conditions in Cumbria.
Thousands were left without electricity after 30cm of snow hit the county, bringing down power lines.
Electricity North West (ENW) believes 99% of affected properties will have power restored by the end of Monday.
A small number of homes may remain without electricity until Tuesday due to significant damage in remote areas.
Engineers used drones throughout the day to assess damage and restored power to about 15,000 properties.
Customer director Stephanie Trubshaw said the company was working to ensure power is restored as soon as possible, urging those who require extra support to get in touch.
She said: “These are without a doubt some of the worst conditions we have seen in terms of snow for several years.”
ENW is working with local businesses to provide hot drinks and food to those who remain without a supply.
Image source, PA Media
Image source, ENWL
A yellow rain warning has been issued for north-east England until 09:00 GMT on Tuesday.
There is also a separate warning for rain in parts of south Wales and Devon and West Somerset.
Image source, JUDITH MORRIS
Cumbria Police urged people to take care on roads, which were likely to be “icy and slippery”.
RAC breakdown spokesman Simon Williams said “treacherous icy conditions” were expected all day.
“Those who decide to drive should leave extra space behind the vehicle in front, reduce their speeds to give plenty of time to stop,” he said.
“Before setting out, it’s important to allow more time to de-ice and de-mist vehicles thoroughly.”
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About 45 schools were closed in parts of Cumbria including Kendal, Ambleside, Ulverston and Barrow-in-Furness.
Paul Mooney, BBC Look North weather presenter
The forecast for Cumbria for Saturday was one of scattered snow showers. However, a convergence line developed over the Irish Sea.
This is when opposing winds converge to enhance precipitation. The resulting, more organised area of snow drifted over the county and became very slow-moving over the southern half of Cumbria for several hours and snow amounts built steadily and quickly.
The Met Office already had a yellow warning in force for snow and ice.
This was upgraded to an amber warning for heavier, more widespread snow at 12:43 GMT but, as the situation was developing, snow was already falling heavily across much of the southern lakes.
Unconfirmed reports suggest more than 11.8in (30cm) of snow fell across many places.
Eastern parts of the county saw generally lighter falls and more northern areas escaped most of the snow.
Police declared a major incident on Saturday after the Met Office issued an amber warning for snow.
The callouts included helping with a potential cardiac arrest, a suspected stroke and a suspected spinal injury caused from a sledging accident.
The British Red Cross[1] provided practical and emotional support to people left without power, said emergency response officer David Taylor.
He said he and three other volunteers had been using four-wheel drive vehicles to take hot drinks, food and blankets to those affected.
“We are also going out to provide a listening ear to people,” Mr Taylor said. “These situations can be very traumatic especially for older people who may be in a situation where they haven’t had power for a few days.”
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References
- ^ British Red Cross (www.redcross.org.uk)